India's NTPC launches tenders for 2.75 GW of solar projects

March 13 (Renewables Now) - Indian power producer NTPC Ltd (BOM:532555) said on Friday it is inviting bids for the construction of 2,750 MW of grid-connected solar parks across the country.

According to its website, the company has launched two separate tenders with e-bidding that will be followed by an e-reverse auction. The entire capacity will be awarded in the open category under the Jawaharlal Nehru National Solar Mission (JNNSM).

As part of the competitive process, NTPC will seek companies willing to install 750 MW of photovoltaic (PV) parks, with a minimum of 250 MW, within the Ananthapuramu Ultra Mega Solar Park in Andhra Pradesh. Proposals will be accepted by April 12.

The second announced tender is for 2,000 MW of grid-connected PV capacity, which can be located at various sites across the country. Bidding will be open by April 23, according to NTPC’s notice.

An unnamed NTPC official has told consultancy Mercom Capital that a single bidder can compete for the entire capacity in the two tenders. Selected projects will be developed on a build, own, operate basis and will be awarded 25-year power purchase agreements (PPAs) by NTPC.

Neither of the two tenders has a price cap, the official told Mercom, adding that the 2,000 MW of capacity will be connected to the Inter-State Transmission system (ISTS).

This month, India is expected to launch tenders for 6 GW of solar power capacity as part of its roadmap towards reaching the 100-GW solar objective by 2022. Last month, the Solar Energy Corporation of India (SECI), a government of India enterprise, invited proposals for 3 GW of ISTS-connected PV capacity.

Veselina Petrova is one of SeeNews Renewables most experienced green energy writers. For several years she has been keeping track of game-changing events both large and small projects and across the globe.